How an Airbag Sensor Works
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- Опубліковано 25 лип 2024
- Here's a tear down on how an airbag sensor works.
An airbag sensor is responsible for detecting sudden deceleration in a collision. It sends a signal to the airbag computer which use the vehicle speed, yaw, seat belt and ECU to determine if an airbag should deploy in a crash.
There's two types of mechanical airbag sensors, the cam type and ball and tube style.
The ball and tube style of airbag sensor consists of a ball, in a tube, held to one side by a magnet. When the sensor experiences shock, the ball is dislodged from the magnet and strikes the terminals of a switch, sending a signal to the central SRS computer.
The cam type of airbag sensor, explained in this video, uses the momentum of a pivoting cam on its own axis of rotation to strike a switch terminal completing the circuit.
A diagnostic resistor is wired in parallel in all sensors. This is for the SRS computer to perform a self check at startup to ensure all sensors are present and operational.
This video explains the differences between sensor types and shows how to access and replace your sensor on a Toyota Camry. Procedure will be very similar for other vehicles, as the sensors are usually bolted to the radiator cradle around the headlight area.
It also goes into a tear down of an actual airbag sensor, where you can see the little cam mechanism and switch strike terminals.
The latest high tech airbag sensors use Micro-electrical Mechanical systems, or MEMs to sense acceleration. Since they're machined or etched into silicon directly, the sensor footprint can be much smaller, in the range of micro-meters.
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this is the best "how it works" video ive seen in UA-cam... 0 second wasted.
+723lion thanks, short and to the point is how it should be
totaly agree!
723lion yes
yes
u so right
Yours is a gold standard 'how it works ' video. Zero time wasted. Please continue your good work so that we can all benefit from it.
brilliant, sensible, no nonsense, no background music, exactly what most others don't do, explain function of components so the unlearned are left with a name of a component but not necessarily how it works. brilliant video, clear speech, detailed, competent, excellent communication skills. Thank you very much
Thanks. Short and to the point is my style
A very good explanation of the theory of operation, followed a detailed illustrative visual component. Good job.
+George Rivera Thank you
speedkar99 I bought a car from an auction with the driver and passenger airbag deployed. Do I just replace the airbags and reset the module?
Mart25F Nope. You have to replace all the crash sensors, SRS computer, aka SRS deployment module all the air bags and the initiator module.
You're awesome for how concise and direct this video is. You're also awesome for sacrificing a component for everyone's education, and for editing the video down so there's no dead air :)
You're awesome.
+samsical Thank you. Your learning is my learning too. I always wanted to know myself how an airbag sensor works and I didn't see any documentation out there so I made this video to share with all.
Huh.... Way simpler than i would have thought.
Yes very simple, though there are more complex airbag sensors in newer cars.
Varies between vehicle
Also the computer has to see many other signals before deploying bag like seat position, speed vehicle is traveling
And it cost only 90$
Great job on the explanation, Speedkar, you're concise and the video production was excellent. Found your video while trouble shooting my '03 Silverado, and learned way more than I could have hoped. Thanks!
+Jesse Crips-Sorger Glad you learned from it. Thanks for the feedback.
Straight to the point, crystal clear explanation. Thank you!
Really like your videos that get down to the meat of how an item works. Not superficial like so many other videos.
100% excellent, this is the gold standard for how these videos should be! Thanks!!
Exactly, short and to the point.
Thank you for a good explanation of how these things work.
Very nice! You were to the point and showed how these sensors work using a diagram then actually taking one apart. Good teaching, and thank you.
You're welcome!
Awesome explanation. Gave multiple diagrams of sensor variants along with not wasting time showing you spending 5 minutes to pry off glue. Please keep making videos, people need to look at yours as a standard! :)
+Daniel Faraj Thanks. Short and to the point is my style. I hate wasting time on trivial things like screws, the point of the video is to show how something works, not how to unscrew or pry something lol
Спасибо. Давно интересовала эта тема. Очень интересный рассказ с теорией и наглядной демонстрацией устройства датчика.
You have explained so well!! I get it now!!!
+Angelina Chow Thanks
very clear explanation for accecalaration of sensors and activity
+Tamilmaran C thanks
Well illustrated. Clearly described. Generally pretty well lit (could use better lighting when prying out the cam). Excellent editing! Really well done.
+Stephen Dee Thank you for the constructive comment! Lighting wasn't that great (filmed in basement, took many takes to get a decent shot of that cam gear).
Excellent explanation. Just what I needed to know re: the Airbag Senor configuration. Thanks!
+James Hall thanks
I've spent the better part of the day looking for how to reset an airbag code on my 2005 Camry after replacing the spiral cable assembly on the steering column and had no luck. Stumbled on this video and learned something I hadn't even thought about. This has made my day.
Thanks and looks like I'll need a code reader of more value to reset that code.
Thank you for that simple presentation that explained the concept of an impact sensor that I could easily understand.
+Matt Keefe thanks I'm glad you understood
+Matt Keefe thanks I'm glad you understood
+Matt Keefe thanks I'm glad you understood..
Thank you for this concise explanation of how sensors work without extraneous musik or waffle about how to use a spanner or select a screwdriver. Full marks!
Thanks. Quick and to the point is my style
A great explanation. Thank you.
Best succinct to the point video on how airbags work!
Thanks. I'm gonna make a full airbag video soon
If anyone wondering that's a 1M Ohm resister
do you happen to know, if i could use a resistor insted of an impact sensor? Thanks fam :D
Great explanation... simplified diagrams are super helpful.
I'm glad it helped you understand and learn something new 😉
I really liked the way you explained!
Thanks, short and simple is my style
That's a highest grade tutorial on the market.
Thanks for the compliment
Superb , thanks for the video
Thanks
You Sir gave a perfect explanation of the whole thing..... Thank you very much......
+Shiladitya Ray I'm glad you enjoyed it and learned something!
Thank you. Very useful.
Thanks for sharing
Nice explanation.
excellent video!
NICE EDITING!! Most people make u watch unnecessary long videos that make u just skip the video to a more INTERESTING SHOW THX FOR UPLOADING!!
+juan aranda Thanks, I like making videos short and to the point so it's not boring to watch and you get the information you want right away.
Great video! Also, the airbag computer does nothing until usually 2 or 3 sensors are tripped, so if one fails it doesnt deploy your airbags and cause an accident, this is why some airbag lights will be on for seemingly no reason, because one sensor is tripped (or not functioning at all) but none of the others are
+007K Yes, correct. It also has to do with vehicle speed and yaw.
The airbag light is on for about 6 seconds because the system does an internal check at start-up. If the airbag light is on all the time, there is something wrong in the restrain system, airbag, sensor, etc. You need to pull the fault codes from the ECU to know what is not working properly.
+wysiwyg248 Yes that's exactly how it works.
+speedkar99 - I agree with " Speed & Yaw ". There are many times I have hit the Front Bumper and the Air Bags NEVER deployed!
Excellent presentation!! Thanks
Your welcome
Straight to the point
Great video thanks a lot
awesome explanation. thank you very much for sharing
Glad you found it informative!
Excellent excellent stellar work!!!!!
Great video, very well explained and helpful
Thanks
Thank you sir you explained it very smoothly...
You are welcome
Interesting. Thanks for the explanation
+Ron Brown thanks
Excellent video.
Thanks
I learnt a lot from your video, thank you!
+eddysun518 glad you enjoyed it thanks
Great video, thank you!
+binthrdonthat Thanks
Thanks, another great video.
Your welcome, thanks for your kind feedback
I wish I had found this video yesterday. I had the "Service Air Bag" message on my 2009 Silverado 1500. Wife needed the truck to go out of town so I didn't want her driving it without the air bag. I suspected the problem was one of the impact sensors on the Rad support but wanted to verify it before spending $100 on a new one. My Actron CP9690 scanner would not read the code even though it was advertised as doing SRS which is why I originally bought this model just in case I ever had a problem. I took it to O'Reilleys and guess what--- they couldn't read it either because they were using the Bosch version (Bosch owns Actron now) of the SAME SCANNER. I just bit the bullet and bought an impact sensor there and luckily that was the problem. After watching your video I realized all I really needed to verify it was a friggin' 1/4 watt resistor which I have drawers full of. DOH !!! Great video. Thanks.
Glad it helped
Thats interesting. Good no BS video. Thanks !
Well explained. Thank you.
+Smoked Chicken Drum your welcome
You are very talented.
Fellow master tech.
I’ve been looking for this explanation for a long time.
Thanks. A MEMS device is how they do it in New cars
Excellent tutorial ..thanks
+JOGO
I'm having an issue with the airbag/sensors on a 2006 GMC pickup, so I checked the sensors with an ohmmeter and diode checker. The resistance was very high one way (3 megohms), and infinite with the leads reversed. Measuring voltage drop, which is what a diode check does, shows there is definitely a semiconductor between the two leads of the sensor, so unfortunately not all sensors are as simple as yours. Very nice video. Well done!
That's true, a diode could also be used as a check device as well
Well, no. What I mean is that the airbag sensors on my vehicle, and most likely other newer vehicles, consist of more than a simple mechanical switch. Inside mine there is clearly at least one transistor / diode of some type. Your smart phone has a micro accelerometer in it for instance, which is most likely what's inside a more modern sensor. hackaday.com/2012/05/22/the-engineer-guy-explains-how-mems-accelerometer-chips-work/
@@LarryCook1960 You are right : sensors are more complicated than that.I think you have figured it out by now ; The micro accelerometer you are talking about is more likely based on piezoelectric technology that says: a crystal (be it quartz or the like) has the quality of producing electric pulse upon being impacted. So the accelerometer has a crystal quartz layer that separates two metal plates that are charged with positive and negative electrodes respectively by the crystal upon being impacted or very lightly knocked. So I think that when people measures the resistance of an airbag sensor with a multimeter , what they are measuring is the resistance of mentioned metal plates. If the piezolectric crystal that is between those metal plates , breaks for a strong external blow to the car or by simple tear-and-wear, those two metal plates would be in contact (even lightly due a tiny minor fracture of the crystal) showing an abnormal resistance or even continuity. It is even more complicated if we take into account that around the piezoelectric accelerometer there are capacitors that store some charge and a tiny transducer that converts the electric pulse generated by the cristal (upon being tested or for a legit real impact) back to the Airbag control unit (ECU) to deploy airbags if needed. That amounts to a nightmare for a newbie to test such an overcomplicated sensor device that only gets a generic message when conecting a ODBII examiner: OPEN CIRCUIT IN AIRBAG SENSOR 1 !!!! Then you start throwing parts, battery and overhauling the fucking all wire looms and connectors to the ofending fucking sensor 1. A nightmare and very entertaining PITA process!!! Good luck!!!
Well you have to remember, intellectual properties are protected by Patents. Either the manufacturer settles on using someone else's patented technology or, develops their own device which then has to undergo all the testing to certify the device. So....bottom line is I'm sure there are a dozen or more different designs, seems like people are more interested in just shooting the messenger, rather than taking the explanation for what it is worth. Like I tell my kids don't be one of the ten percent.
well explained , thanks a lot
+Praveen Chaubey thanks
Very informative, thank you.
That's my style, thanks
awesome education. more videos please. Thank you regards
Nice vid mate. Explained very well
+Russel Cristovall Thanks
+Russel Cristovall Thanks
great video, thanks!
You are welcome
Best explanation
Very well explained.
+Daniel James Glad you found it helpful
Very interesting video ,thank you very much.
You are welcome
Thanks for the video . good job
+mohammed foaad Asd your welcome
Nice Job
Nice, well explained!
Gracias ; )
+E Gino thanks amigos
Very satisfied video
best video ever im glad i found your channel
Thanks , please share on your network
thanks.. great explanation
Your welcome
Super cool man, thank you!!
No problem!
Awesome I never understood how it worked.
Great information... Now if I could find the right front passenger side sensor on my 1995 MX6...I can start to find a replacement. Been lloking.
Thanks for your vid...!!
Thanks for the video.
Be careful when using a cutter.
You got me scared !
Lol
Yea safety first!
Reminded me of when I first sliced my finger open when I was ten using a razor blade.
Great work
Awesome thanks
Good video nice to know how things work thanks
You are welcome
Interesting. Thanks for that!
+bennett guinn your welcome
Like the video, Thank you for sharing such thing.
Your welcome
Nice! Had never seen this...👍👍👍
Nice video
Excellent
thanks.... it is a very informative video
+Sameekshya Ray Thank you
nice info..
thanks for sharing...
Glad you found it informative.
thank you very much
GREAT JOB on the Video as ALWAYS !!! A+++++++++++++++++++++++++
+Jordan Bronson thanks
very good video
Thanks
i've always wondered how this worked, now i know!! very well explained thanks
You are welcome!
@speedkar99 - great explanation, Thank You. My 2007 Ford Ranger intermittently throws a B1118-A0 Passenger Front Impact Sensor Mount/ Communication Error. There is a resistor in the sensor. I am thinking it gets out of operating resistance range after system powered up and sets the code. I am going to replace sensor first before chasing wiring problems. Thank You once again.
Interesting. Thank you.
+Riche Bright thanks
thanks mate, good stuff. to the point.
That's my style
Love this
This presentation is the perfect illustration for the famous Arabic proverb (Brevity is clarity)
nice job
Thanks
Good video! Thanks =)
You are welcome
Good job I like it.
Thanks
missed your thumb at 2.12
Very well done and easy to follow. You have a real talent to guide and explain in your presentation. You would do well as an teacher or instructor.
Our 2012 Mazda recently was in a front damage collision with much damage and no air bag deployed. No injuries, but isn't this odd?
+electricsub Thank you for the feedback. I love what I do, presenting concepts in a clear and concise manner. I'm learning as much as you are as I go along.
The airbag is not designed to deploy in a low speed collision, as it could cause more injury to passengers. Rather the crumple zones of the vehicle is meant to absorb the impact. Being able to walk away from such a collision is attest to that.
Same here...i had an accident with my Camry 2012 & it wasn't massive damage, just crashed the shield of front light, bend little corner of the hood, the corner side of font viechle & scratched some of the paint. The Airbags didn't deployed
I remember a time in school where anything outside of the classes I missed out on; Airconditioning and airbags systems were left out; heck I was not allowed to take Diesel classes until the last minute; I refused
muito bom , very good
thanks nice vidoe
KURDISTAN uk
1:48 How will rust affect the interior parts due to rust if they are sealed, as you indicated later in the video
Great explanation! Do you know if the sensors re-set themselves after a collision or do they have to be replaced? I just finished re-building a 2013 chevy Cruze and replaced all affected parts (seat belts driver airbag and control module) but did not change the front sensors. I'm getting an error code B001A and B001B which apparently refer to pretensioner error. I checked the resistance on the seatbelt pretensioner and it is within specs. Now I'm thinking that maybe it is the front sensors that I should change. I can't find anywhere the proper resistance specs for them so can't really test. My thinking was that once the impact of the collision is over the sensor is back to its normal position and can be re used unless physically damaged from the accident of course.
+Chris Dz I've read that the sensors have to be replaced as well, though it depends on the sensor type. If its the "gold ball" type where the ball detaches itself from a magnet and gets lodged into the contacts then it might have to be replaced.
If you have access to an accident free Chevy Cruze (think rental car), you can measure its sensor's resistor values and see if they matchup.
I figured it out. The front sensors are actually fine and did not need replacing after the accident. I'm guessing the magnet pulls the ball back and it's ready again. My issue turns out to be that the Chevy has two seatbelt tensioners. One is in the seatbelt assembly which I replaced. The other is attached to the seatbelt anchor and the tensioner is hidden beside/under the seat. I worked on many cars before but this is a first for me to see two separate tensioners. Just an FYI.